RISE August-September 2011 - University of Salford

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RISE Magazine Excavating a revolution The textile mill is one of the iconic sites of the Industrial Revolution. However, static museum displays showing the technology of mill engines and textile machinery in modern museum buildings often fail to show the wider context of this technology. It’s not until one visits museums that were built as textile mills, such as Helmshore in Lancashire or Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire, show the full life-changing impact of this technology becomes obvious. Dr Mike Nevell, Head of Archaeology at the University’s Centre for Applied Archaeology, has, along with his research team, just completed a three month piece of applied research work that demonstrates the value of undertaking large-scale archaeological work on the remains of the recent past. The archaeological investigation of Oak Mill in Chadderton, Oldham, took place as part of a planning condition funded by the developer ahead of a scheme for new social housing. These investigations revealed the foundations of a late 19th century cotton spinning mill on the site. Although the six storey mill block was working as recently as 1929 and was demolished in 1934, northing of the scale of the site was visible on the ground. Mike said: “Investigating textile mills from this period can be very confusing with a variety of manufacturing process potentially available; from wool and silk production to linen and cotton with a variety of production stages leaving different types of remains; from power systems and production floors to warehousing and office buildings. Although analysis of the historic maps for such a site can reveal the broad outline of the development of such a mill, it is only archaeological excavation that can reveal the scale and scope of such sites. Targeting the power systems for detailed analysis provides an archaeological short cut for understanding the way in which such a mill site developed”. At Oak Mill large earth-moving machinery was used to locate and clear the rubble from the major elements of the power systems of the cotton mill. This involved removing tonnes of spoil from the remains of the boiler house, one of two steam engines, and the site of the flues and chimney to reveal the heart of this factory. The eventual exposed remains covered an area 50m by 70m and survived up to 5m high. Using mechanical diggers on such robust industrial sites not only speeds up the excavation process, but also makes the site safer to investigate. It also provides more time to record the technological details of the power systems and foundations. Yet even here, it is necessary to use rapid recording techniques in order to cover the Above left: Oak Mill chimney base Above right: Oak Mill Boiler House whole site as quickly as possible. At Oak Mill this was done through the use of detailed aerial photography that produced images of the boiler and engine houses, whose plans from this angle looked more like circuit diagrams than building foundations! In recent years the intimate relationship between the standing ruins, archive material and the archaeological remains of industrial sites has been shown by excavations across the UK. From Glasgow, through Lancashire to London, archaeology is revealing new insights into the role and impact of that iconic image of industrialisation, the textile mill. Of the Centre’s work Mike said: “Our Centre is leading the way in exploring and developing new recording techniques for such sites, recovering information about the recent past that can only be achieved through archaeological work”. Name: Mike Nevell Email: m.d.nevell@salford.ac.uk 32 | August/September
Right: Innopolis study visit group Good business in the Metropolis = Innopolis Creative partnerships, joint working and exchanging experiences, this is the ethos behind the INNOPOLIS project. INNOPOLIS is a project which identifies and disseminates best practice in innovation policy in university city-regions, focussing on regional policy that facilitates knowledge co-creation between universities and enterprises and is a partnership between universities and regional authorities in four diverse European university city-regions: Greater Manchester, Helsinki, Lodz and Thessaloniki. So far the project has documented over 125 European cases of University/ Industry Knowledge Exchange and 25 National ‘Best Policy Practices’ to stimulate Knowledge Exchange. The project is now developing a methodology to help policy makers understand which policies and practices would suit their region and its context. With all the above at the forefront the fourth study visit and seminar for the project was hosted recently by the University of Salford and Manchester Knowledge Capital. The objective of the North West visit was to gain a better understanding of best policy practices for knowledge exchange, looking at examples and case studies from Greater Manchester. The programme showcased some of the excellent knowledge exchange and innovation support activities underway across the city region and provided an opportunity for project partners to discuss the successes, challenges and benefits of knowledge exchange from a variety of perspectives. Hearing directly from the key actors involved in a whole range of knowledge exchange cases – from niche technology SMEs to large multi-national businesses, academics from various disciplines and support intermediaries such as incubators and KTP Associates provided unique and in-depth insights into knowledge exchange in action. Setting the context for knowledge exchange in Greater Manchester to enable a better understanding of its innovation ecosystem, the INNOPOLIS project partners heard about the engagement approaches taken by GM’s universities to working with other partners across the city and beyond, overcoming current challenges and meeting the future global ambitions of Manchester’s knowledge economy. The partners also visited the spatial initiatives driving forward the city region’s main innovation hubs of Corridor Manchester, Manchester Science Parks and MediaCityUK. In addition to visits with leading-edge research facilities including the University of Salford’s ThinkLab and Energy House, the area’s sporting knowledge assets were on display showcasing the University’s work with elite athletes across the UK and of course Manchester United Football Club! INNOPOLIS Project Director, Professor Carl Abbott said: “Universities and cities are the wellsprings of innovation. Manchester and Salford were at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and the ripples that started here transformed the world. This inheritance coupled with a pioneering spirit and supported by world-class universities shapes the context for innovation in the city-region to this day. I’m certain that our project partners were enthused by the variety, scale and ambition of the knowledge exchange practices that were investigated. Along with our partners we have now documented and analysed over 125 knowledge exchange practices and 25 innovation policies. The results of this analysis will play a vital role in enabling policy makers to understand which policies and practices are likely to thrive in their regions allowing them to strengthen the roles of universities in driving innovation and so improving economic competitiveness and wider wellbeing”. Name: Carl Abbott / Elena Vasilieva Email: c.abbott@salford / e.vasilieva@salford.ac.uk Website: http://knowledgecities.eu/intro This project is funded by the EU’s European Regional Development fund through the INTERREG IVC programme. This communication reflects the view only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. August/September | 33
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RISE August-September 2011 - University of Salford

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